Knitting machine



July 13 1926. 1,592,634 K G. J. H. JACQUES KNITTING' MACHINE Filed oct. 1s. 1922 :s sheets-shea 2 ATTORNEY.

July 13 1926.

G. J. H. AJACQUES KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 13, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY.

Patented July 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE.

GEORGE J'. I-I. JACQUES, 0F PA'TUCKELy RHODE ISLAND.

KNITTING f MACHINE.

The object of the invention is to provide a knitting machine ot the circular type snitable for producing stockings and garments ot similar type ywith a View to the production of a more elastic 'fabric with the minimum risk ot injury to or disarrangement ot' the parts ofthe mechanism and under conditions tending to reduce the responsibility and necessity for the exercise oit skill on the part ot the operator or attendant; and with these objects in view the invention consists in a construction and combination ot parts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings` wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a knitting machine showing the general application of a back pick.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of a needle cylinder showing the application ot' the back pick.

Figures 3, at and 5 are respectively end7 plan and side views ot the .back pick mechanisms.

Figure 6 is a view in side elevation of the raising and lowering cam and the operating means for the same.

Supported by a suitable base or platform 40 is a stationary needle cylinder t1 grooved as in the ordinary practice to Ytorm guides for the needles 42 and revolubly mounted in surrounding relation with the base ot the cylinder is a cam ring 43.

The cam ring` is capable, in the operation ot the mechanism,l alternatively of a continuous rotary motion in a single direction and an oscillatory or rocking movement alternately in opposite directions and the power necessary to drive said ring is applied through driving mechanism consisting ot slow and tast pulleys 47 and 48 traversedby a belt e9 which may be shifted from one to the other and may be actuated by any suitable motor, a` driving gear 50 carried by a shaft 51 ot the slow pulley 47 and also adapted to be actuated by the tast pulley 48 through intermediate speed multiplying gearing consisting of the gear elements 52, 53 and 54; of which the latter meshes with the gear 50 and which latter communicates motion to a crank gear 55. The cam rino in the construction illustrated is provided with gear teeth 56 with which mesh the teeth ot the beveled driven gear 57 carried by the shatt 51, and loosely mounted upon said shaft 51 is an oscillatory pinion 59 actuated by a rack ($0 adapted to be oscillated by a hell-crank lever G1 of which one arm is connected by a link 62 to said crank gear and ot wnich the other arm has a slot and pin connection with said rack bar. A clutch slidingly iitted on the shaft 51 and is keyed thereto and is adapted byits terminal clutch faces tor engagement alternatively with the gear 50 and the oscillatory gear 59, so that when the clutch is in one position the cam ring is driven continuously in one direction by reason of the rotation of the shaft 51 and when the clutch is in the other position the cam ring receives an oscillatory or alternately reversed motion through the action ot the rack on the gear 59.

1n the knitting ot stockings and like garments the continuous rotary motion ot the cam ring is utilized in the production ot the leg portion of the garment and when the heel portion 'thereof is reached the oscillatory movement ot the cam ring` is instituted, to be iollowed by a turther operation ot the cani ring in a continuous direction to torni the toot portion of the garment between the heel and the toe thereof. and again the mechanism is adjusted to return to the oscillatory movement of the cam ring to torni the toe portion ot and complete the garment.

Carried by the cani ring tor cooperation with and control ot' the needles is a stitch cam G6 which is capable ot vertical adjustment by means ot the screw 109 and check nut 11e. The stitch cam has a horizontal movement controlled and operated by a lever 111 and a lock pawl 113. Then the lock pawl 113 is raised, it permits springs 1l2 to pull the stitch cam 66 into position adjacent the needle cylinder. This stitch cam 66 is mounted on the cam ring 48 and its direction ot rotation is governed by revers ing mechanism, as hereinafter set forth. To

withdraw the stitch cam, the loclr 1pawl 113 is tirst lifted manually from the path ot the lever 111 and by manually grasp-ing` the knob oi the lever 111 and moving` it upon its 'fulcrum, the stitch cam moves from the needle cylinder dii-e to the lintr connection 111a with stnd 111" wriich is on the car 110 which supports the screw 109 and the stitch 1t will be noted when the lever 111 is operated in this manner, the springs 112 are tensioned so that, when the lever 111 again released, the springs will move the stitch cam into position adjacent the needle cylinder. At opposite sides oit the stitch cam are raise cams 67 and (SS and picks or pick cams 69, and at a diametrically opposite point on the cani ring 43 is a back pick which abuts the needles, two at a time,v

and operates in both .directions as the machine reverses back and forth. The back piel; is carried by a pivoted aim 126 which is pulled upwardly, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 5, by spring;` 12? after the cam 121 revolves, forcing' the retaining bar 123 upwardly, releasing pressure on the back piclr pivot arm 126, which pressure is caused by the spring),- 12eL which is of greater tension than the spring 127. Then the cam 121 again revolves, spring 1211 pulls the retaining bar 123 downwardly and this in turn pulls the back pick pivot arm 126 down# ward and it is allowed to move as indicated by dotted lines (Figure 5). Every time a corner of the cam 121 passes under the foot 122 of the retaining bar 123, the retaining` bar 123 raises against the action oi' the spring` 12d and the arm 125 of the retaining` bar relieves pressure on the arm 126, allowing,` the spring` 127 to move the back pick arm Y126 upwardly to the position in dotted lines. As the back pick 70 swings, it pulls the butts or lateral portions of the needles only part way. On opposite sides ot the back aiclr are located the needle movers 71 and 7 2 w ich complete the movements of the needles. This method or" moving the needles is gradual rather than sudden, therefore making a more elastic fabric and insuring a longer liie for the needle cylinder and needles. At a point between the stitch cam and the back pick and relatively close to the latter at the side thereot' occupied by the needle movers 7 2 is a raising and lowering cam 7 3.

The raise cams 67 and 68 will engage the butt-s oi' and raise the needles ata desired moment. A raise cam 73a is also provided and will raise the long butt needles only and only at such time as the machine is reversine,v to knit heel and toe, this raise cam 73 being too tar away 'from the needle cylinder to operateV short butt needles. The lowering cam 7 3 causes long' and shortbutt needles to drop after heel and toe are knitted. These cams 73a and 73 are moved simul-V taneously by revolving the cam dislt or ratchet cam 108 caused by coming in Contact with projecting pin 136 (Figure 2) and as hereinbeifore mentioned, the cam or operating,r lever 135 is held against the cam disk or ratchet cam 108 by a springl 134. A spring' 140 is used to create friction relative to the ratchet cam or cam dish 108 and prevent it from turning too far when it comes in contact with pin 136. The raised cani 68 is held toward the needle cylinder by means oi a spring 68 and is held in downward working' position'by spring 68". 1t can be moved in and out radially, as shown. is will be understood, the raise cams 6'? and G8 are more or less short and due to their particular construction and their location with respect to the needle cylinder, the short butt needles are incapable of operating.

rEhe timed operation of these different instrumentalities carried by the cam ring, the shitting oit' the belt to vary the speed ot roation ot the earn ring' and the shitting oi' he clutch to change the character oi' movement ot thecam ring from continuous to oscillatory and vice versa is regulated by a controlling mechanism consisting in the c sti-:action illustrated of a shaft ca a ratchetdislr '.f' with which cooper i feed pawl T6 carried by an oscillatory lever 7T operatively connected with and receiving` its motion from the bell-crank lever 61, the motion of said shaft obviously being step by step. Actuated by a cam disk on the controller shaft 74 is a belt shipping lever 81 between which and the cam there is pret'H crab-ly located a reversing lever Connected with the clutch-65 is a clutch lever 83 which receives its motion through a reversing lever 84 from a cam disk 85 also carried by said controller shai't.

Furthermore carried by .aid controller shaft is a chain wheel 86 over which erf-:tends a tensioned pattern or trip chain 3T provided with trip pins, and arranged in the path oi` the trip pins of said chain is a trip leve:` 91 carrying a supporting pin 92 and yieldingly held in its n rmal position by a spring 93, said supporting pin serving; as a meansvot holding' in its inoperative position a pattern pawlin the path ot which is arranged a ratchet wheel 95 attached to a pattern drum 96 which is leosely mounted on said controller shaift. When a trip pin of the chain 8.7 comes in contactwith the trip lever 91 and causes a tilting` thereof, the supporting' pin 92 releases the pattern pawl 94 and permits it to drop into engaginp,- relation with the ratchet 95,-said pattern pawl being carried by the oscillatory lever 77 which, as above described, carries the pawl 76. The pattern drum, which is thus actuated by the pawl 94 at intervals controlled by the location of the trip pins on the chain 87 carries tappet pins 97 in the paths of which are arranged shitting levers lit) iso

98 and 99 of the bell-crank type connected by intermediate means such as the links 100, levers 101 and links 102, or the equivalents thereof, with lifting levers i 103 and 10a which respectively control stop pins 105 and 10G and serve to raise or operatively dispose said pins with relation respectively to cam disks 107 and 108 which serve as the actuating means respectively for the back pick T0 and the raising and lowering cam 73, which are in service when the oscillatory movement of the cam ring is in progress to properly control the needles of the cylinder in the formation of the heel and toe portions of the garment.

The cam wheel 10T which controls the operation of the back pick is of the star wheel type with a plurality of. radial arms 120 for engagement with the stop pin 105 when the latter is moved into its operative position through the actuation of the drum and said cam disk carries a cam 121 upon which rests the foot 122 of a retainer bar 123 hereinbefore described. A friction spring 128 controlled by a screw 129 which forms the spindle of the cam disk 10'.7 serves to hold the latter against an excessive movement or a movement of more than one step when an arm thereof comes into contact with the stop pin 105.

rllhe raising and lowering cam mechanism referred to hereinbefore as shown at 'i' 3 and located on the cam ring at one side of the back pick, and vincluding the operating cam disk 108 for actuation through contact with the stop pin 106, consists essentially of the raising cam member 130 and the lowering cam member 131 supported by a carrier sli'de 132 mounted for vertical movement in a guide 133 and exposed to the yielding lifting action of a contractile spring 13a. These cam members are designed for actuating the long and short butt needles when the machine is being reversely operated or the cam ring is being oscillated in the formation of heel and toe portions of the garment, and they are capable of vertical movement with relation to the cam ring by reason of the carrier 132 which is actuated by the cam disk 103 through the operating` lever 135 which is provided with a pin 136 riding on the cam face of the said disk 103 of which the substantially radial arms 137 are successively engageable with the stop pin 106. The friction spring 1410 is employed in connection with the cam disk to prevent overthrow thereof when an arm 137 comes in contact with the stop pin. Furthermore the lowering cam member consists of a link pivotally connected as at 140 with a carrier arm 131 extending from the carrier slide, and provided at the other end with a guide pin 142 operating in a slot 14-3 in a bracket arm 11111 which is secured to the cam ring. The elevated position of the lowering cam is indicated in dotted lines in Figure 6, the normal lowered position of said member beine' indicated in full lines in said ligure.

riaving described the invention, what is claimed as new and useful is 1. In a circular knitting machine of the type having a stationary cylinder with needles carried thereby, a cam ring revolubly associated in surrounding` relation with the cylinder at the base thereof, said cam ring being so mounted as to have continuous rotary and oscillatory motions and capable of being actuated by either motion according to predetermined arinngement` the combination with a back pick including a pivoted arm operatively mounted upon the Cain ring, the arm being under tensioned, whereby it maj.' lift the back pick. of a device under greater tension than the lirst tensioning means to lower the back pick arm, whereby the back pick may engage the butts of a plurality of needles and lower then means for intermittently actuating the tensioned device to insure the two movements of the back pick arm during the oscillatory motions of the cam ring, and a controlling mechanism movable by the driving mechanism in timed relation with the cam ring and having a device for actuating said clutch.

2. A circular knitting machine including a stationary cylinder with needles carried and guided thereby and having a cam ring revolubly associated in surrounding relation with the cylinder at the base thereof, said cam ring being so mounted as to have continuous rotary and oscillatory motions and capable of being actuated by either motion according' to predetermined arrangement` the combination with a back pick including a pivoted arm operatively mounted on the cam ring, of opposed counteraeting elements operatively connecting' with the back pick arm for lowering and raising the arm during the oscillatory motions imparted to the cam ring` the back pick being enga 'e able with butts of a plurality of necdld lowering them at one time, a device opei intermittently for relieving the action one of said counteraeting` elements whereby the other elements may raise the back pick arm.

3. A circular knitting machine inrlinling a stationary cylinder' with needles carried and guided thereby and having ram ring' revolubly associated in surrounding relation with the cylinder at the base thereof. said cam ring being so mounted as to have continuous rotary and oscillatory motions and capable of being actuated by either motion according to predetermined arrangement, the combination with a back pick including a pivoted arm operatively mounted on the cam ring, of spring means for moving the back piek arm upward, a spring tensioned retaining bar operatively mounted in a guide on the cam ring for moving the back piek arm downwardly, whereby the back piek may operatively engage butts of a plurality of needles for lowering the needles, a cam 'for operative engagement with the retaining bar to aetuate the bar and lessen its tensioning means whereby the rst tensioning means may raise the back pick arm, the

two movements of the back pick arm being 10 in synclnonism with the oscillatory motions of the cam ring.

In testimony whereof he aliXes his signature.

GEORGE J. H. JACQUES. 

